Forbes House Museum preparing for grand reopening after restoration

Thursday

Jun 29, 2017 at 3:52 PM

Zane Razzaq The Patriot Ledger

MILTON - The legacy of captain Robert Bennet Forbes and his family thrives in the newly renovated Forbes House Museum.

On top of Milton Hill and overlooking Boston Harbor, the 1833 Greek Revival mansion contains treasures and souvenirs from the family’s history working in the China trade, and from the captain’s humanitarian efforts.

Among the many artifacts is a 19th-Chinese porcelain punch bowl that has “Forbes forever” written around the rim.

“They aspired to immortality,” said Heidi Vaughan, the museum’s new executive director. “They wanted to be successful. They wanted to pass down their name. Part of success is the idea that you and your family will be around forever.”

The Forbes House Museum has not been open for tours since March 2016, creating time for a series of essential restoration projects. The building’s northwest corner, where significant rot had been found, was repaired.

Chinese glazed ceramic tiles that adorn the balustrade of the hexagonal South Porch, were renovated with new channels designed to shed water, prevent future rot, and hold the tiles firmly in place.

“They saved as much as they could,” Vaughan said, talking about the people who were involved in the restoration work. “Preservation is always the priority.”

The museum is preparing for its grand reopening, which will take place sometime this summer.

The mansion was built for Margaret Perkins Forbes by her sons, captain Robert Bennet Forbes and John Murray Forbes. The family helped shape maritime and trading history during the 19th century, and the museum highlights family members’ different contributions and interests.

Throughout the mansion, visitors will also see souvenirs from the captain’s many humanitarian efforts. In 1847, Robert Bennet Forbes, then 43, famously traveled to County Cork, Ireland, by ship. He and his brother transported food and provisions from Boston to County Cork during the Great Potato Famine.

The mementos of the trip include a large silver serving tray that the people of County Cork presented to the captain to thank him.

Another museum highlight is the captain’s granddaughter Mary Bowditch Forbes’ vast collection of President Abraham Lincoln memorabilia. In 1927, she had a one-room log cabin – an exact replica of Lincoln’s birthplace – built on the property. She stored her collection of Lincoln memorabilia, which includes an 1860 campaign hat shaped like a coffeepot.

“For her, the contrast between the one-room cabin and the man he became was inspiring,” Vaughan said.

Vaughan noted that Mary Bowditch Forbes, the last member of the Forbes family to live in the mansion, wanted to share her interest in Lincoln with others. She opened the cabin twice a year to the public – on Lincoln’s birthday, Feb. 12, and Memorial Day.

“It became more than her own little thing,” Vaughan said. “She wanted young people involved. She wanted to pass on the knowledge.”

Currently, a few items from the museum’s collection – including the ship’s wheel from the USS Jamestown, the ship the captain used to travel to Ireland – are on display at the Massachusetts Historical Society as part of a co-sponsored exhibit, “The Irish Atlantic: A Story of Famine, Migration and Opportunity.” The exhibit will run through Sept. 22.

For and update on tours and more information about the Forbes House, 215 Adams St., Milton, visit www.forbeshousemuseum.org or call 617-696-1815.